Ozempic, Wegovy & Mounjaro Injury Claims (GLP-1 Medication)

What’s actually under investigation

GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide — Ozempic, Wegovy — and tirzepatide — Mounjaro) work by slowing digestion and suppressing appetite. Around 1.6 million UK adults used one for weight loss in 2024–25.

Between 2007 and October 2025, the MHRA received 1,296 Yellow Card reports of pancreatitis linked to GLP-1 medicines, including rare reports of necrotising and fatal pancreatitis. The MHRA has issued a safety alert telling clinicians and patients to watch for severe, persistent stomach pain radiating to the back, alongside nausea and vomiting — and has launched the Yellow Card Biobank with Genomics England to investigate whether a genetic predisposition explains why some patients are affected and others aren’t.

This is not a settled question and not a blanket warning against the drugs. It’s an active regulatory investigation into a specific, serious side effect in a specific group of patients — which is exactly the situation in which a negligence or product liability claim becomes possible: were you told about this risk before you started taking the medication, and were your symptoms taken seriously when they appeared?

Two different claims — don’t confuse them

This is not the same as a weight-loss surgery claim. If you had bariatric surgery (a gastric band, bypass or sleeve) and it went wrong, that’s a surgical negligence claim — see our weight-loss surgery compensation page. A GLP-1 injury claim is about the medication, not an operation, and it can arise in two ways:

• Clinical negligence — a GP or prescriber failed to warn you of the pancreatitis risk, failed to screen you properly beforehand (a history of pancreatitis or gallstones is a known risk factor), or dismissed your symptoms when you reported them.
• Product liability — the medicine itself is defective in the sense that the risk wasn’t adequately communicated. See product liability injury claims for how that route works.

Most real cases involve elements of both, which is exactly why an early, properly evidenced claim matters — it establishes which failure caused your harm.

What compensation depends on

There’s no UK settlement history for this category yet, so treat any figure you see quoted online with caution — most of the current litigation is happening in the US courts (consolidated as MDL 3094), under a different legal system with different rules. In the UK, your claim would be valued the way any medication-injury or clinical negligence claim is valued:

• Severity of the injury — a short hospital stay for pancreatitis that resolves is worth far less than pancreatitis causing lasting organ damage, diabetes, or gastroparesis (permanent stomach paralysis).
• Whether the harm was preventable — evidence that you had a risk factor that should have ruled out the drug, or that you reported symptoms and were told to continue taking it, strengthens the claim significantly.
• Financial losses — time off work, ongoing treatment, and any long-term care needs are added to the general damages figure for pain and suffering.
• Fatal cases — the MHRA’s own data includes fatal pancreatitis reports; a dependency and bereavement claim follows the same rules as any fatal clinical negligence claim.

How to make a claim

1. Report it to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme if you haven’t already — this matters for the wider investigation and helps establish the medical record around your case.
2. Get your prescribing records — what you were told, and when, about the risk of pancreatitis before you started the medication.
3. Talk to us, no cost, no obligation. MIC is FCA-regulated (FRN 836625) and introduces claimants to a panel of specialist solicitors. We take no referral fee for the introduction.
4. No win, no fee — see our full guide.
5. Time limits apply — generally three years from the injury or from when you reasonably connected it to the medication. Given how new this area is, don’t assume you’ve missed your window — get advice.

Start your claim or read more about medical negligence claims generally.

FAQs

I’m still taking a GLP-1 medication and I’m worried — what should I do?

Don’t stop it without speaking to your GP or prescriber first — for many patients these medications are appropriately prescribed and the risk is rare. If you develop severe, persistent stomach pain, seek urgent medical attention and mention you’re taking the medication.

Is this the same as the American Ozempic lawsuits I’ve seen in the news?

No. US litigation (MDL 3094) is proceeding under US product liability law, which works differently from the UK system. A UK claim is assessed under UK clinical negligence and product liability law and is a separate process.

What if I bought the medication privately rather than on the NHS?

You can still claim — the duty to warn you of material risks applies whether you were prescribed the medication by an NHS GP, a private clinic, or an online pharmacy service.

Do I need to prove the drug caused my pancreatitis, or just that I got it while taking the drug?

You need medical evidence connecting the two — this is exactly the kind of causation question a specialist solicitor and independent medical expert will assess before your claim proceeds.

Is there a group claim or class action I can join?

Not currently in the UK. Each claim is assessed on its own facts. That may change as more cases emerge, but there’s no reason to wait — early individual claims are still the fastest route to compensation.

Start your claim — speak to our team today

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MayIClaim is a trading name of R Costings Limited, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 836625). This article is general guidance and does not constitute legal advice for any individual case.